Japanese train company Seibu Railway is hoping to achieve something very impressive to celebrate the company's 100th anniversary. A new line with trains that "connect with the landscape" or, as Seibu Railway aspires, invisible trains.
Seibu Railway's new trains won't be truly "invisible" but more "reflective." Disappearance through reflection is the goal of the project.
Kazuyo Sejima, one of Japan's best designers, took on the design of the project even though he had never designed a train before.
“The train will travel through different scenery, from the mountains of Chichibu to Tokyo, and I thought it would be good if the train could gently coexist with all these landscapes,” says Seibu’s official press release.
“The express will accommodate a large number of people who will be able to relax in comfort, as if they were in their living room.”
The exterior camouflage is vaguely described as a “semi-reflective surface coating” by the company. It looks like it’s a shiny vinyl wrap, but we’ll have to wait and see what Seibu really has in mind.
The speed, power and environmental impact of the “invisible” train have not yet been discussed, but it appears that the program is expected to launch with seven trains in 2018.
The vehicles will be manufactured by Hitachi, Ltd.
